Happy Friday!
Without making those of you in our colder southern states too jealous, a quick brag that the weather on my mini-trip to Darwin last week was fantastic! Hot and sunny, perfect for reading a book poolside (an actual novel!) and exploring swimming holes and waterfalls at Litchfield. It was also great to catch up with AMA NT President John Zorbas — but we were too busy admiring the sunset to remember to nab a selfie!
On Monday it was straight back into advocacy land, with the release of the Grattan Institute report on community pharmacy. The report unveiled the smoke and mirrors when it comes to pharmacy agreements and was a welcome reminder of the need for urgent reform. It’s high time that the community had visibility of how this sector is governed, and that funding was targeted towards evidence-based, collaborative care; not high-volume dispensing and scope expansion outpacing the evidence.
Of course, none of this was new news…our media statement highlighted our ongoing advocacy over many years for some of the changes contained in the report, including scrapping pharmacy ownership and location rules, allowing medicines discounting, and taking a real look at embedding non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice.
Between our submission to the pharmacy board, the Sax Institute report on the (lack of) evidence for autonomous pharmacy prescribing, and this Grattan report, there is mounting pressure on governments and pharmacy groups to come back to the table an negotiate a safer way forward.
On other issues, this week I also caught up with the National Rural Health Commissioner, Professor Jenny May AM, about the importance of supporting rural maternity, including the role of GP obstetricians. We know there are many factors affecting recruitment and retention of specialists in rural areas, but it is so critical that women retain access to medically led pregnancy care in rural Australia. The AMA supports the commissioner’s work in encouraging a maternity workforce in rural areas that includes doctors and multidisciplinary teams.
Yesterday, alongside Dr Karen Price (Chair of Federal AMA’s Council of General Practice) I participated in the Nous Group’s final evaluation of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (UCCs).
The performance of Medicare UCCs should be measured by how effectively they connect patients back to ongoing GP-led care, impacts on the hospital logjam, cost effectiveness and real clinical outcomes — not only the number of patients seen.
We call for stronger integration between UCCs and a patient’s usual general practice, including better clinical handover, communication and follow-up pathways. While UCCs appear to be a permanent feature of our health system, we will continue advocating for an integrated after-hours care model that complements general practice, supports workforce sustainability and delivers the best possible outcomes for patients.
Finally, we are in the middle of the federal AMA’s election process for Federal Council and the next President and Vice President. Keep an eye out in your emails for updates from our Secretary General and CEO, Natalia Centellas. And a reminder that if you want to be part of the action to elect our next president, get your tickets to AMA26 now!
Have a great weekend!
